On This Day In History: Fidel Castro announces that Cubans are free to leave the island

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History.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata.

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Discover what happened on January 6 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 6

1531

Religion and spiritual issues, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, the Bible, Wicca, Buddhism and more, are at the core of human values and history.

Religion

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

U.S. Government and Politics

The 1990s is often remembered as a decade of relative peace and prosperity: The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades-long Cold War, and the rise of the Internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, business and entertainment. However, the decade was not without violence and tragedy, including the Bosnian genocide, the Rodney King beating and subsequent L.A. Riots, and the bombing of the World Trade Center. The Columbine High School shooting marked a solemn chapter in gun violence, and the devastatingly deadly Oklahoma City bombing by a domestic terrorist followed lethal standoffs between federal agents and armed civilians at Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas.

1990s

Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latin and Hispanic communities. The event, which spans from September 15 to October 15, commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large.

Hispanic History

The history of art and entertainment tells the complex story of human civilization through visual art, design, literature, music, film and television. It ranges from cave drawings of the Neolithic period to Renaissance masterpieces to rock 'n' roll and video games.

Arts & Entertainment

Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in 1944, the largest amphibious invasion in history. Weeks later, the Allies liberated Paris from its Nazi occupiers. Meanwhile, Soviet forces battered the Nazis on WWII’s eastern front. In the U.S., Franklin Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth presidential term and Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall starred in their first film together, “To Have and Have Not,” introducing the immortal line, “You know how to whistle, don’t you?” 

1944

Discover what happened on September 29 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

September 29

2003

1965

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

Discover what happened on August 21 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

August 21

1993

1974 was a year of firsts. Richard Nixon, enmeshed in the Watergate scandal, became the first American president to resign from office. Hank Aaron became the first baseball player to top Babe Ruth’s career home run record. Scientists in Ethiopia found the first skeleton of a 3-million-year-old human ancestor that walked upright, while archaeologists in China unearthed an army of more than 8,000 lifesize terracotta warriors. In America, disco fever raged, and Archie Bunker broke TV sitcom ground with his blunt and bigoted take on hot-button social issues. 

1974

Discover what happened on January 22 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 22

1990

The turbulence of 1968 began on New Year’s Day with the Tet Offensive, shocking Americans with the unwinnable realities of the Vietnam War. The assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy darkened the national mood and deepened domestic unrest. Mass protests erupted around the globe, from Chicago to Prague to France, Mexico and beyond. In space, Apollo 8 orbited the moon, while back on earth, “Laugh-In” topped TV ratings, “Hair” premiered on Broadway and McDonald’s debuted the iconic Big Mac.

1968

1975

Discover what happened on April 8 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

April 8

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War

Discover what happened on January 5 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 5

1995

Discover what happened on January 11 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 11

1977

Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964, authorizing major U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Martin Luther King Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize, and President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. China tested its first atomic bomb, the Beatles made their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and Ford unveiled its first Mustang at the New York World’s Fair. Pop-Tarts debuted, while Diet Pepsi bubbled onto the market, the nation’s first mass-distributed diet soda.

1964

Discover what happened on January 13 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 13

Discover what happened on January 31 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 31

Discover what happened on January 23 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 23

Discover what happened on September 28 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

History.com Editors ‑ This Day In History

Hispanics are officially declared the largest minority group in the U.S.

Astronaut Ellen Ochoa becomes the first Hispanic woman in space

Mexican American voting rights advocate Willie Velasquez awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

Fidel Castro announces that Cubans are free to leave the island

The Equal Educational Opportunities Act is enacted

D‑Day is postponed

“Roots” premieres on television

Johnny Cash performs at Folsom Prison

Douglas Wilder of Virginia becomes the nation’s first elected Black governor

U.S. Surgeon General announces definitive link between smoking and cancer

“Wheel of Fortune” premieres

Pope Clement VII forbids King Henry VIII from remarrying